Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Ambitious...

There’s just something we all like about a pickup, man.[Editor's Note: Our list is not ranked from 51 to 1. These are just our favorite trucks.]

Now, that's an ambitious undertaking, and one that's certainly fraught with peril.Trucks are a very personal thing; you mess with a man's truck, you are asking for trouble. One need look only at the superabundance of pickup trucks in country music to see that...

Overall, a pretty good showing. Like Bruce, who brought it to my attention, I scoffed at the inclusion of the Hummer H3. Really? A re-bodied Chevy Colorado is a "coolest truck of all time" yet the 1959 El Camino - or any other year El Camino - isn't?

They did have some very cool packages shown, including several I'd never heard of:

Chevy Blazer Chalet

Dodge Power Wagon Top Hand

(pictures from linked article)

There are some that are guaranteed, like the Bronco, the Suburban, and the Land Rover Defender. There are some that make you scratch your head, like the Suzuki Samarai (Really? Didn't they have problems with, oh, falling over if you looked at 'em the wrong way?) or the aforementioned H3), and some that were included not because they were terrifically fast or cool, but because they started trends, like sport trucks or hardcore diesel engines.

Another interesting thing is how many trucks got their start with military applications. The Jeep and the Dodge Power Wagon I think most people know, but the Mercedes Unimog and the Lamborghini LM? Yep. They were started as military vehicles. Obviously ditto the Hummer. I suspect there's a reason that military-ish vehicles appeal so strongly to us.

And just look how many trucks on the list have been the Pic of the Week here. Lambo LM, Syclone, Blazer, Lil Red Express Truck... Think I'm onto something here. I've owned five trucks in my life; two SUVs (one way back when there wasn't even an "SUV" classification - it was listed as "Other" in the body type) and three pickups (all Dodge Rams; I have had one representation from every body style Ram since 1972...)

Lastly, a lot of the trucks are shown with or feature camping equipment. That's one of the thing things I love about the Earthf**ker. Whether towing the camper or tossing tents and sleeping bags in the back, one of the greatest things about a pickup truck is that you can get away for the weekend with minimal effort. The only vehicle I've owned that even vaguely approached a pickup for utility of hauling camping gear was my '83 Coupe de Ville - the trunk was basically large enough to rent out for weddings...

So, what did or didn't make the list that you thought shouldn't or should be on it?

6 comments:

I'm surprised that the Toyota Tacoma didn't make the list, given that it practically single-handedly killed off the rest of the small truck market. The two episodes of Top Gear where they try to kill off a Toyota truck are a couple of my favorites.

I have a 2013 quad cab and I love it. Even with the shorter bed it has enough capacity for most of my needs.

And I see tons of them out here in VA. Very ubiquitous, and they make great utility trucks when you don't need a giant bed or tons of towing power.

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